‘An extravagance of love, poetry, language, color, loss, visual beauty’: The Butterfly’s Dream

The Butterfly’s Dream “Kelebeğin Rüyası” was screened at the Museum of Photographic Arts in San Diego yesterday.  Belçim Bilgin, Rahman Altın and Valentina Castellani-Quinn, the film’s female lead actress, composer and producer respectively, stayed after the screening for a Q & A with audience. Here is audio recording of the Q & A session: 

Q&A moderated by Prof. Randy Reinholz (PSFA Director of Community Engagement and Innovative Programs at San Diego State University, Artistic Director at Native Voices at the Autry). 

After the event I asked Prof. Reinholz what he thought about the movie. Here is what he said:

“An extravagance of love, of poetry, of language, of color, of loss, of visual beauty and composition are the key ingredients to a spectacular cinematic experience while watching The Butterfly’s Dream, which is also Turkey’s selection for the 2014 academy awards.

What a satisfying event.  While I don’t speak Turkish, I found myself deeply involved with the movie.  Normally I don’t mind reading subtitles while watching a movie, but I was a little worried that a period film, set in 1941 whose subject matter was the story of two poets whose work was never fully appreciated during their lifetime, might not be a great way to end a busy work week.  The experience of being in the theater was marvelous.  The audience laughed and wept together.  The specific and muscular use of language was spectacular.  The Turkish community in San Diego packed the theater in Balboa Park during the holiday season to see a film that showcased some of the countries most accomplished artists and it was truly a joyful event.

If you get a chance – go see The Butterfly’s Dream – preferably in a theater filled with audience members that long to see visual poetry in a film that uses language in heroic fashion.  It is a film that unabashedly looks life square in the eye and asks, “which is braver, to be an optimist or a pessimist” during a time of loss and terror.  The beauty, humor, and heart that director and writer Yılmaz Erdoğan displays in this touching love story is wonder to behold.”